**4. Conclusions**

Thus, while considering the features typical for the formation of microdroplets embedded into the coating structure, it is possible to make the following conclusions:

There are microdroplets of three main types:


While penetrating into a coating, a microdroplet noticeably distorts its nanolayer structure. Such distortion occurs both due to the plastic deformation of nanolayers upon impact of the microdroplet and due to the effect of the microdroplet on the structure of nanolayers deposited after its penetration.

The shape of a microdroplet and the presence or absence of secondary structures, surrounding the microdroplet core, relates both to its size (and, accordingly, weight) and to the conditions affecting the process of the movement of the microdroplet in the unit chamber (the influence of multidirectional plasma flows and magnetic fields). It can be assumed that the movement of some microdroplets with the diameter of 100–1000 nm from the source to the deposition surface can be significantly slowed down (up to tens and even hundreds of seconds) under the influence of multidirectional plasma flows and magnetic fields.

Based on the study focused on the shape of a microdroplet core and the specific features typical for the formation of the secondary structure around it, a hypothesis has been proposed, according to which for some microdroplets, it takes much more time than previously assumed for the movement from a cathode to the deposition surface.

Comprehensive mathematical modeling of the processes under consideration is necessary for a detailed study of the causes and mechanisms typical for the formation of microdroplets of different shapes, as well as the mechanisms of the formation of secondary structures on their surface.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.V. and S.G.; methodology, S.G. and A.V.; formal analysis, F.M., C.S., and I.S.; investigation, A.V., F.M., N.S., J.B., N.A., and I.S.; resources, S.G.; data curation, A.V. and J.B.; writing—original draft preparation, A.V.; writing—review and editing, A.V.; project administration, A.V. and S.G.; funding acquisition, S.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Grant No. 0707-2020-0025.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
